Meet the Review Board

We have assembled a diverse group of business leaders, each who has extensive experience in working with leading, early stage growth companies and providing feedback, mentorship and resources that have led to success.

This esteemed group of business leaders will select the winner of the Minnesota Cup after reviewing the many plans we receive and listening to the five finalists present their ideas.

Grand Prize Review Board at 2012 Final Awards Event (Credit: Craig Bares for Twin Cities Business)

Minnesota Cup l Energy & Clean Technology

• Dr. Massoud Amin – Director, Technological Leadership Institute, University of Minnesota
• Ken Brown – MN Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources
• Doug Cameron – Co-President & Director, First Green Partners
• Deb Frodl – Global Executive Director, ecomagination, GE
• Tushar Ganpule – IBG Ventures, 3M
• Rick Huckle – CEO, Riverland Bancorporation
• Rod Larkins – Senior Director of Science & Technology, Agricultural Utilization Research Institute
• Todd Leonard – Executive Director, Minnesota Angel Network
• Dan Lieberman – Co-owner, Lieberman Companies Inc.
• Gordon W. Ommen – Principal, Capitaline Advisors
• David Russick – Gopher Angels
• James Schmidt – Chair of Renewable Energy Committee and Partner, Eide Bailly LLP
• Don Shelby – Broadcaster and Journalist Focused on Sustainable Energy and Climate Change, BringMeTheNews.com

Minnesota Cup l Life Science & Health IT

• Kunjorn Chambundabongse – UnitedHealth Group
• Juliana Elstad – Elstad Medical, LLC
• Jacki Jenuth – Principal, Lumira Capital
• Ryan Johnson – Attorney and Advisor, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
• Amin Kassem – Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Carewise Health
• Michael Kline, Ph.D. – Mayo Ventures
• Tim Laske – Senior Product Development Director, Ph.D., Medtronic, Inc.
• Beth Leonard – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
• Dan Mallin – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Partner, Magnet 360
• Stephen Parente – Professor, Department of Finance, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
• Jay Schrankler – Executive Director, Office for Technology Commercialization, University of Minnesota
• Ed Spencer – Managing Partner, Affinity Capital Management
• Barb Stinnett – CEO and Managing Partner of the Timmaron Group
• Kathy Tune – Partner, Thomas, McNerney & Partners

Minnesota Cup l Social Entrepreneur

• Ben Aase – Managing Consultant, LarsonAllen Nonprofit and Government Group
• Judy Alnes – Executive Director. MAP for Nonprofits
• Terri Barrerio – Director, Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship, St. John’s University
• Trista Harris – Executive Director, Headwaters Foundation for Social Justice
• Sean Kershaw – President, Citizens League
• Pamela Langseth – Executive Director, Social Venture Partners
• Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas – Foundation Manager, Social Responsibility, The Mosaic Company
• Connie Rutledge – Associate Director of the Carlson Ventures Enterprise, University of Minnesota
• Jeff Tollefson – Executive Director, Genesys Works
• Laura Zabel – Executive Director, Springboard for the Arts and 2010 Social Entrepreneurs Cup winner

Minnesota Cup l High Tech

• Tony Abena – Chief Operating Officer, Deloitte Investments LLC
• David Dalvey – Brightstone Venture Capital
• Tom Donnelly – President & Chief Operating Officer, Digital River
• Michael Gorman – Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
• Dan Grigsby – Founding Partner, Drivetrain
• Sima Griffith – Founder, Aethlon Capital
• Jeff Hinck – Partner, Icon Venture Partners
• Joel Lebewitz – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
• Joy Lindsay – President and Co-Founder StarTec Investments, LLC
• Scott Litman – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Partner, Magnet 360
• Marti Nyman – Director, Emerging Businesses Group, UnitedHealth Group
• Doug Ramler – Principal Co-Chair Entrepreneurial Services Group, Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm
• Sam Richter – Chief Executive of SBR Worldwide and SVP/Chief Marketing Officer at ActiFi
• Guy Turner – Partner, Hyde Park Venture Partners 
• Marc Usem – Principal/Portfolio Mgr., Usem Bergstrand Capital Management, LLC

Minnesota Cup l General

• Art Fry – 3M Corporate Scientist (Retired ), Inventor of Post-It Notes
• Fred Haberman – President, Haberman & Associates
• Brad Lehrman – Attorney at Law, Soffer Charbonnet Law Group
• Jeffrey Robbins – Partner, Entrepreneurial Services Practice Group, Messerli & Kramer
• Thom Sandberg – Founder The Kenyon Consortium
• Jackie Schneider – Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, Proto Labs, Inc.
• Meredith Schwarz – General Mills
• Brian Turner – Cities 97 Radio Personality
• John Uribe – Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
• Dan Young – Co-Chair, Business Law Group, Lommen Abdo
• Ed Zabinski – Senior Vice President, Grand Rapids State Bank

Minnesota Cup l Student

• Pam Bishop – Entrepreneur Senior Program Officer, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
• Robert Bodor – Director, Business Development, Proto Labs, Inc.
• Brian Clark – Sr. Director, Innovation and Business Development, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement
• Jordan Fineberg – Global Business Manager - 3M Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems
• Brian Gustafson – Senior Director, Portfolio Management, Tonkawa
• Cate Heaven – Corporate Attorney, Leonard, Street & Deinard
• Franz Hofmeister – Founder, Brands Across America and President/CEO, Quaker Bakery Brands
• Steve Klick – Serial Entrepreneur
• David Moe – Sr. Manager, Distributor Development, The Toro Company
  
• Aditya Narain - Chief Financial Officer, GE Capital - Fleet Services
  
• Lloyd Sigel – Founder, Lloyd's Barbeque Co.
• Dick Vogen – Founder of Vocam

Minnesota Cup l Grand Prize Review Board

• Arnold Angeloni – Board of Advisors at Engineering America
• AJ (Andrew) Austerman – Wells Fargo
• Dan Carr – CEO, The Collaborative
• Katie Clark – Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
• Brad Cleveland – President and CEO of Proto Labs, Inc.
• Dave Cleveland – Founder, Riverside Bank
• Jim D'Aquila – Managing Director, Imperial Capital
• Shelly Elmore – Publisher of Twin Cities Business
• Leslie Frecon – CEO, LFE Capital
• Deb Frodl – Global Executive Director, ecomagination, GE
• Art Fry – 3M Corporate Scientist (Retired ), Inventor of Post-It Notes
• Skip Gage – Chairman and CEO, Gage Marketing Group
• Morris Goodwin – Chief Administrative Director, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
• Michael Gorman – Managing Director, Split Rock Partners
• Sima Griffith – Founder, Aethlon Capital
• Fred Haberman – President, Haberman & Associates
• Gary Holmes – President and Owner of CSM Corporation
• Ryan Johnson – Attorney and Advisor, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
• Todd Johnson – CEO, Reuben Johnson & Son, Inc. & Affiliated Companies
• Pamela Langseth – Executive Director, Social Venture Partners
• Joel Lebewitz – Partner, Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
• Brad Lehrman – Attorney at Law, Soffer Charbonnet Law Group
• Joy Lindsay – President and Co-Founder StarTec Investments, LLC
• Scott Litman – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Director, Magnet 360
• Dan Mallin – Co-founder, Minnesota Cup & Managing Director, Magnet 360
• Shawn McIntee – Partner, Maslon
• Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas – Foundation Manager, Social Responsibility, The Mosaic Company
• Thom Sandberg – Founder The Kenyon Consortium
• Doug Ramler – Principal Co-Chair Entrepreneurial Services Group, Gray Plant Mooty Law Firm
• Jeffrey Robbins – Partner, Entrepreneurial Services Practice Group, Messerli & Kramer
• Jeff Tollefson – Executive Director, Genesys Works
• Dale Wahlstrom – President & CEO, LifeScience Alley